Diabetes mellitus (DM) is one of the fastest growing health burdens that is projected to affect 592 million people worldwide by 2035. DM is defined by a persistent elevation of glucose concentration. Under chronic hyperglycemic conditions, glucose is non-enzymatically attached to proteins (glycation), which has deleterious effects on their structure and function. Glycated hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) is the hemoglobin with glucose attached to the N-terminus valine, which reflects the glycemic burden of an individual over the previous 2-3 months. Therefore, it is the recommended biomarker for monitoring the glucose control of DM patients.
Magnetic resonance relaxometry (MRR) is a technique used in nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to acquire spin-echoes of (predominantly) water content of the cells/tissues. Recent advances in NMR system miniaturization have raised the prospect of applying these techniques in point-of-care diagnostic setting. These include immuno-magnetic labeling based (e.g. tumor cells, tuberculosis and magneto-DNA detection of bacteria) and label-free μMRR detection of various diseases (e.g., oxygenation/oxidation level of the blood and malaria screening).